In Brief

PRO BASKETBALL

FIBA welcomes NBA players,
but only until lockout ends

If NBA stars are serious about playing overseas, basketball's governing body says they will be welcomed.

Just as long as they promise to leave once the lockout ends.

FIBA announced Friday it would clear NBA players under contract to play in its leagues during the work stoppage, provided the deals they sign come with opt-out clauses.

In a ruling that paves the way for players to earn a paycheck, FIBA agreed with NBA and players' association officials that players are free to sign anywhere but do so at their own risk of injury.

Playing overseas has emerged as an option for NBA players during a work stoppage that threatens to last months and could even wipe out the entire season. Nets All-Star Deron Williams has a deal with Turkish club Besiktas -- which is also courting Kobe Bryant -- and most top players said they would consider playing overseas.

Also: The Detroit Pistons are giving Lawrence Frank another chance to lead an NBA team.

A person with knowledge of the situation said the Pistons have agreed to a three-year deal with Frank to be their coach. The agreement includes a team option for a fourth year, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the team hasn't announced the move.

Frank, an assistant coach with Boston last season and a former head coach in New Jersey, will be Detroit's sixth coach in 11 seasons when the NBA lockout ends. The Pistons fired John Kuester in June after they missed the playoffs in each of his two seasons.

GOLF

De Jonge, Simpson share lead
at Greenbrier Classic midpoint

Brendon de Jonge and Webb Simpson share the lead halfway through the Greenbrier Classic in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

De Jonge shot a 3-under-par 67, and Simpson had a 68. They are at 7-under 133 after two rounds.

First-round leader Trevor Immelman shot a 70 and was at 6 under. Five others are two shots back.

The redesigned Old White TPC course showed its teeth with Simpson and de Jonge the only two of the top 10 from the first round to break par in the second.

Among those failing to make the cut at 1 over were Phil Mickelson, whose streak of 17 straight made cuts ended, and defending champion Stewart Appleby. Both finished 3 over.

Appleby shot 59 in the final round a year ago to win at 22 under.

Also: Olin Browne followed a record-tying 64 with a solid 69 to take a one-shot lead over a talent-laden leaderboard in the rain-delayed second round of the U.S. Senior Open in Toledo, Ohio.

Browne, who led by two strokes after matching the tournament's low first-round score, had a double-bogey and a bogey but added five birdies, including on the two closing par 4s. He is at 9-under 133.

Mark O'Meara (68) is one shot back, with Mark Calcavecchia (67), Joey Sindelar (66) and Michael Allen (69) at 135.

Caroline Masson of Germany shot a 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Women's British Open in Carnoustie, Scotland.

Playing in the final group, Masson had seven birdies without a bogey on the Carnoustie Golf Links to move to 11-under 133, one stroke ahead of South Korea's Inbee Park and Meena Lee.

Park, a Bishop Gorman High School product, shot a 64, and Lee closed with two birdies in a 69.

Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke crashed out of the Irish Open in Killarney, while fellow countrymen Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell made the cut.

Germany's Marcel Siem took the second-round lead at 10-under 132 after a stunning eagle on the 16th hole to highlight a second straight round of 4-under 66. India's Jeev Milkha Singh, who only managed a 70 after Thursday's 63, and Denmark's Soeren Hansen (66) were tied for second, one shot back.

U.S. Open champion McIlroy and 2010 U.S. Open winner McDowell looked in danger of following Clarke out of the tournament. But McIlroy bagged three straight birdies from Nos. 14 to 16 as he carded a 68, and McDowell birdied his first two holes in a 66. Both were at 4-under 138.

Clarke slumped to 1 over, two weeks after winning the British Open.

MOTOR SPORTS

Peters bests Buescher in final
truck race at Lucas Oil Raceway

Timothy Peters took the lead late, then pulled away to win the AAA Insurance 200 NASCAR Truck Series race in Clermont, Ind.

Peters, who spun because of a tire problem that forced a caution near the race's midpoint, pushed into second place during the final 20 laps, then passed James Buescher on lap 194 of the final NASCAR trucks race at Lucas Oil Raceway. It was the 30th year the race was held at the 0.686-mile track.

Buescher finished second. The 21-year-old has never won a race, but finished in the top 10 for the ninth straight time.

David Starr finished third and Miguel Paludo fourth. Ron Hornaday Jr., who had won the race the previous two years, placed fifth.

Also: John Force set an Infineon Raceway track record to lead Funny Car qualifying at the FRAM/Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, Calif.

Force followed his victory in Denver last weekend with a 4.060-second run at 311.99 mph in a Ford Mustang to take the provisional No. 1 qualifying position. If the time holds through today's two qualifying sessions, Force will become the all-time No. 1 qualifying leader with 139 in his career.

Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also qualifying leaders.

Action sports star Travis Pastrana's debut in NASCAR's Nationwide series was delayed after he suffered broken bones in his right foot and ankle in a nasty fall at the X Games in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

Pastrana was to make his first Nationwide attempt today at Clermont, Ind. He was hurt while competing in the Moto X best trick event.

MISCELLANEOUS

Exonerated suspect in beating
of Giants fan feels shamed

The man initially identified by police as the primary suspect in the beating of a San Francisco Giants fan at Dodger Stadium, then exonerated after two other men were arrested and charged, spoke out.

"More than anything, I'm upset. Not for myself, but for the grief and embarrassment that my friends, family and loved ones have been put through," Giovanni Ramirez, 31, said in a statement released by his attorney, Jose Romero.

Ramirez has been in custody since being arrested on a parole violation in May and ordered to serve 10 months in prison. At the time, Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck identified Ramirez as the primary suspect for the beating of Bryan Stow, saying he was confident police had the right man.

Ramirez was never charged, and his attorneys have filed court papers asking a judge to order his release.

Also: A youth baseball team from Uganda lost its bid to become the first team from Africa to play in the Little League World Series because of discrepancies over players' ages and birth dates.

League and team officials did everything possible to ensure players on the Rev. John Foundation team from Kampala were qualified and had documentation, said league representative Richard Stanley of New York City. Children who are 11 or 12 as of April 30 can play in the World Series, held each August in South Williamsport, Pa.

However, several players provided false birth documents to make their ages appear younger, said a State Department official in Washington, D.C., speaking on the condition of anonymity because visa records are confidential.

Everett Withers said he's excited to get started as North Carolina's interim football coach and sad to take over after the firing of Butch Davis.

Withers had spent the past three seasons as defensive coordinator under Davis, but now finds himself inheriting a troubled program in the middle of an NCAA investigation and a week from the start of practice.

"I told our assistant coaches this morning that I want to have fun," Withers said at a news conference in Chapel Hill. "I don't want to stress. Our kids deserve an experience that's fun for them. Last summer wasn't a whole lot of fun for them. I want them to have some fun. We're going to have a good time, but we're going to work hard."

Quarterback Cody Green announced he's transferring from Nebraska to Tulsa.

Green decided to leave Nebraska after being beaten out by Taylor Martinez for the starter's job last fall and having failed to make headway in the spring against new challengers.

Recruiting services pegged Green as one of the top 10 quarterback prospects in the nation when he came out of Dayton, Texas, two years ago.

Ryan Lochte locked up two more gold medals at the swimming world championships in Shanghai, raising his victory total to four with at least one event to go.

The American led from start to finish in the 200-meter backstroke, then rallied the United States past France in the anchor leg of the 4x200 freestyle relay.

Serena Williams stumbled once, unable to plant her right foot. It was one of the few times she looked vulnerable.

The unseeded Williams put on a clinic with precision serving and a sharp ground game to get the better of second-seeded Maria Sharapova, 6-1, 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, Calif.

Playing in just her third tournament since winning Wimbledon last year, and her first on American soil since the 2009 U.S. Open, Williams looked as good as she did when she topped the rankings.

The fifth-ranked Sharapova had eight unforced errors before she hit her first winner, and the slow start cost her in the battle of former No. 1s.

Williams will meet Germany's Sabine Lisicki, who beat fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2.

Usain Bolt emphatically ended his losing streak at the DN Galan track meet in Stockholm, surging to a 200-meter victory in 20.03 seconds.

The Jamaican had lost at 100 meters in this meet in 2008 and 2010. But the switch to the 200 -- his preferred distance -- changed his luck at the Diamond League event.

LaShawn Merritt was second in the 400 in his return from a 21-month doping ban. Caster Semenya struggled again, finishing eighth in the 800.